IDW - Illinois Democratic Women

IDW Convention Cancelled

skaczmarski — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:54:11 +0000

Sorry to report that this year’s annual convention scheduled for this coming weekend has been cancelled.

We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please remember to cancel your hotel reservations. Refunds will be issued.

“It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch”

skaczmarski — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:15:14 +0000

Mitt Romney has had a reputation for years that he’ll say and stand for anything to get elected. As if Romney’s record of flip-flops didn’t prove that point enough, his top advisor confirmed yesterday that Romney has no core and will in fact say anything to get elected.

Please see this DNC video on the subject.

Romney’s top advisor said yesterday that Romney would “hit a reset button” for the general election and that “it’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.” But Romney, who repeatedly calls himself a “severe conservative,” may not be able to shake his commitment to conservative voters. Romney:

Said he would “get rid of” Planned Parenthood, which provides lifesaving health care like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings for millions of women.
Recently embraced the Blunt Amendment, which would take women’s health decisions out of women’s hands and give it to their bosses.
Promised to veto the DREAM Act, denying young immigrants who came here as minors and who know no other home a chance to earn a path to citizenship by going to college or serving in the military.

Romney’s willingness to say and stand for anything to get elected is nothing new. He has flip-flopped on issue after issue to try to win over Republican voters:

Once he said that “abortion should be safe and legal in this country,” but now he says he’s pro-life.
Once he said that undocumented immigrants “should be able to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship” but now he says he would veto the DREAM Act.
He’s also flip-flopped on contraception, health reform, climate change, Afghanistan, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, China trade enforcement, and just about everything else.
He even faked a Southern accent while campaigning in Mississippi and Alabama.

With Romney’s repeated flip-flops on almost every single issue, it’s no wonder why voters don’t trust him.

Romney’s Budget Plan Is Just Like Ryan’s: Bad For Seniors And The Middle Class

Mitt Romney’s budget plan is just like the one Congressman Paul Ryan released the Republican budget plan this week: they’re both bad for seniors and the middle class. Both Romney’s and Ryan’s budget plans turn Medicare into a voucher program, increase health care costs to seniors by
thousands of dollars, and give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest.

Please see this campaign memo titled “Let Seniors Go Bankrupt: Republican Plans for Medicare and Social Security.”

Romney has said he is on he same page as Ryan even “applauding” this week’s budget – so America’s seniors need to take note of what this budget means for them.

The Romney and Ryan budgets would turn Medicare into a voucher program. What does this mean for seniors and middle class families?

Over time, traditional Medicare would wither on the vine, risking the guaranteed coverage seniors have earned and paid for.
Seniors would be forced into private plans and pay more for their health care.
At the end of the day, Ryan’s plan – which Romney has called “bold and right” – would end Medicare as we know it for millions of seniors.

— Romney likes to say that his Social Security plans wouldn’t change anything for current or soon-to-be retirees. But Romney never menti

ons what would happen for everybody else. In fact, a plan like Romney’s for Social Security could actually cut benefits by $2,400 a year for workers in their forties and by $4,700 for those in their twenties.

Neither the Romney nor Ryan budget plans ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

President Obama has proposed the Buffett Rule, which asks the wealthiest to pay their fair share and not pay a lower tax rate than middle-class families – but both Romney and Ryan oppose it.
Paul Ryan’s plan would use deep budget cuts to help pay for $150,000 in tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, while Romney’s plan would provide even deeper tax cuts for the wealthy, adding trillions to the deficit.

— While Mitt Romney and the Republicans want to end Medicare as we know it and devastate Social Security, President Obama is doing the opposite.

Vice President Biden will be in Florida tomorrow talking about President Obama’s commitment to preserving and protecting our sacred compact with America’s seniors and middle-class families.
The President believes that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should be able to retire with dignity and security.

The President’s All-Of-The-Above Energy Strategy Helps Families Save at the Gas Pump

President Obama knows that rising gas prices are hitting families hard. As long as America has been dependent on foreign oil, consumers have been subjected to unpredictable price swings at the pump.

The President knows we can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices and we won’t solve this problem overnight. That’s why he’s focused on an all-of-the-above strategy to develop all of America’s natural resources – including domestic oil, gas, wind, solar and biofuels – and encouraging fuel efficiency so that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil over time.

Oil and gas development has increased every year of the Obama administration and domestic oil production is now at an eight-year high – and our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low. Last year, we cut net oil and petroleum imports by 1 million barrels a day. President Obama has also:

Expanded domestic oil production by offering millions of acres of land for lease and improving safety measures to prevent future spills.
Proposed opening up more than 75 percent of undiscovered offshore oil and gas resources for development in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.
Taken an important step forward in allowing safe exploration of one of the Arctic Seas, which could yield up to 15 billion barrels of oil.
Promoting the safe, responsible development of America’s near 100-year supply of natural gas that will help create more than 600,000 jobs. In 2009, America regained its position as the world’s leading producer of natural gas.

President Obama has also made record gains in clean energy development, including:

Nearly doubling renewable wind, solar and geothermal energy since 2008.
Agreeing with automakers to nearly double fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. That will help to save families more than $8,000 per vehicle at the pump and decrease our oil consumption by an estimated 2.2 million barrels a day.
Boosting our use of cleaner fuels, including increasing the level of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline and implementing a new Renewable Fuel Standard that will save nearly 14 billion gallons of fuel in 2022.
Positioning America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of the high-tech batteries that will drive the next generation of clean energy vehicles.

While President Obama is helping families save money at the pump, Mitt Romney did the opposite.

As governor, Romney increased a tax on gas by 400 percent.
Romney opposed increasing fuel-efficiency standards that are helping families save at the pump.
Romney wants to repeal Wall Street reforms that are preventing corporations from manipulating the energy market like Enron did.

President Obama’s Health Reforms Are Helping Millions Save Money And Live Healthier

March 23 was the second anniversary of President Obama’s landmark health reforms, which are already helping millions of Americans save money and live healthier lives.

Please see these new videos highlighting health reform’s benefits for families across the country.

Medicare is now stronger for seniors, and women can now get life-saving mammograms at no extra cost. Children won’t lose their coverage just because they were born with pre-existing conditions like asthma – and American families are seeing how reform is saving lives and saving money.

Since we passed reform almost two years ago, Americans have seen its positive impact:

180 million Americans are now protected against the worst insurance abuses, like denying health care to the sick, excessive premium increases, lifetime caps on the amount of care a patient can receive, and soon will be protected against gender discrimination.
86 million Americans received free preventive care. That means they got live-saving cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, and soon women can have their contraception covered without paying a co-pay or deductible. They’re living healthier lives while saving money at the same time.
An additional 2.5 million young adults now have insurance. That’s because President Obama’s health reform made sure they could stay on parents’ plans as they enter the workforce, until they turn 26.
47 million Americans now benefit from a stronger Medicare program. The solvency of the program has been extended by eight years, and new prescription drug discounts have saved 3.6 million people with Medicare an average of $600.

That’s just the beginning. As the law continues to phase in over the coming months, so will more of its benefits. New reforms will lower costs and raise the quality of care. Seniors will see their Medicare coverage continue to improve, and see the doughnut hole completely close.

And in two years, every single American, regardless of their circumstances – whether they want to change jobs, start a business or retire early, or even if they lose their job – will have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Presidents have been trying to make that happen for 70 years. President Obama got it done.

Romney wants to “get rid of” Planned Parenthood

skaczmarski — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:39:27 +0000

Democrats have produced a web video highlighting GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney’s recent statement that he plans to “get rid of” Planned

Parenthood. The ad features Romney speaking to St. Louis TV Station KDSK. In it, listing programs he would cut to help reduce spending

andthe deficit, he says, “of course you get rid of Obamacare, that’s the easy one, but there are others: Planned Parenthood. We’re gonna get rid of that.”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) said Romney has “become the most extreme candidate on issues affecting women” as a result of “just trying to woo Tea Party voters.”

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said her organization wasn’t the only target.

“This disregard for women’s health has been [a] growing theme for Mr. Romney and his campaign,” Richards said. She cited Romney’s support for the Blunt-Rubio amendment and his endorsement of personhood campaign as other examples of this trend.

Help support IDW efforts – buy an ad for the convention

skaczmarski — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:19:52 +0000

In order to make a difference in what is shaping up to be a “War on Women” unlike anything we have seen in decades, we need your support. Please consider taking out an ad in our ad book.

Click here for the ad book form –or– Click here to pay for your ad on ActBlue

In the past two years, we hosted candidate trainings, women’s issues forums, and launched our 10 in 2010 campaign to help women candidates win. Now, we will build on the momentum and continue to recruit viable candidates, retain good Democratic leaders, revitalize the Party, and enroll volunteers to get the vote out.

But we need your help!

March is Women’s History Month: White House Women and Girls Update

skaczmarski — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:56:20 +0000

Happy Women’s History Month! On March 1, President Obama issued his official Women’s History Month proclamation, where he reminds us that “during Women’s History Month, we commemorate their struggles, celebrate centuries of progress, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the rights, security, and dignity of women in America and around the world.”

Throughout March, we look forward to highlighting programs and policies for women that change and improve lives. From the establishment of the Council on Women and Girls, and the Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009, to the passage of the Affordable Care Act and beyond, President Obama and his Administration have demonstrated their commitment to issues affecting women and girls.

Hear from the Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls and Senior Advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett on her recent participation at the 2nd Annual World Conference of Women’s Shelters and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

You can also check out the President’s record on helping women and girls, and join us by phone for an update from here at the White House.

Thank you for all of the work that you do, and your commitment to helping women and girls realize their full potential. Please feel free to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you, and celebrating this month together, in all of our communities, across the nation and the world.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stand for the national anthem at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Feb. 15, 2012. The First Lady and Dr. Biden joined Gen. Dempsey, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, to unveil a new report outlining opportunities and best practices for states to better support military spouses serving in professions with state licensure requirements. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Annual Convention National Federation of Democratic Women

skaczmarski — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:46:27 +0000

Title: Annual Convention National Federation of Democratic Women
Location: The Brown Hotel, Lexington, Kentucky
Link out: Click here
Description: Enjoy a real Kentucky welcome with optional tours of Bourbon Country and Horsing Around Kentucky. Learn what NFDW is about and get involved with workshops, committee meetings, and the President’s Luncheon.
Start Date: 2012-05-30
Start Time: 9:00
End Date: 2012-06-02
End Time: 21:00

2012 Annual Convention

skaczmarski — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:30:27 +0000

Title: 2012 Annual Convention
Location: Crowne Plaza, Springfield, Illinois
Link out: Click here
Description: Join Illinois Democratic Women for this exciting weekend featuring some of the movers and shakers in today’s political scene. Chat with others working to support the Democratic Party and help more Democratic women get elected!
Start Date: 2012-04-27
Start Time: 5:30 p.m.
End Date: 2012-04-28

Michelle Obama: Wife, Mother, Attorney, Public Servant and First Lady

jlcrain — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:59:04 +0000

Before she was gracing the covers of magazines and hosting international heads of state, First Lady Michelle Obama was a working woman balancing a career, raising two children and supporting a husband in Congress.

Mrs. Obama grew up on the South Side of Chicago but later went on to study sociology and African-American studies at Princeton University. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, she joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin.

As the first African-American first lady this country has seen, Mrs. Obama has won the American public over with her warm smile, elegance, poise and intelligence. While President Obama has had a tough time tackling such issues as healthcare reform, high unemployment rates, and multiple wars abroad, Mrs. Obama isn’t simply sitting on the sidelines but she has taken on a few causes of her own.

Over the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among American children of all age groups, increasing nearly five-fold among those ages 6-11. Today, nearly 25 million children are overweight or obese. Some experts believe that if obesity among children continues to increase, our current generation of children will become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.

Mrs. Obama has taken on the cause of fighting childhood obesity through her initiative, Let’s Move! The program, launched in February 2010, is a comprehensive initiative, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years, giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices.

“The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake,” said Mrs. Obama. “By investing in even one grocery store you might be able to revitalize just one neighborhood. By building more sidewalks [today] you can reduce health costs and budget strain tomorrow.”

Let’s Move puts a particular focus on providing healthier foods in our schools, ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food and helping kids become more physically active.

In addition to tackling childhood obesity the first lady is turning her attention toward military families by launching a program to ensure U.S. troops and their loved ones have the support they need.

The initiative “Joining Forces,” is aimed at shoring up military families in a range of areas, including education, employment and wellness.

Mrs. Obama said the initiative will include a public-awareness campaign, additional help for children of troops and veterans and partnerships with some of the country’s biggest employers, who have agreed to redouble their efforts to hire veterans and their spouses.

“This campaign is about all of us, all of us joining together, as Americans, to give back to the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much, every day, so that we can live in freedom and security,” she said. “Joining Forces is a challenge to every segment of American society to take action, to make a real commitment to supporting and engaging these families.”

With no guarantee that President Obama will win reelection in 2012 Michelle Obama has already made history and become an iconic figure in American history. She is an American mother, wife, attorney, public servant and our FIRST LADY.

Sign Up Today for the Champaign Political Campaign College

jlcrain — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:03:28 +0000

Women and the American Jobs Act

Admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:23:20 +0000

Last week President Barack Obama’s address articulated his vision for an American Jobs Act. He put a critical eye on putting Americans back to work and reversing the deep economic recession caused by the banking crisis three years ago

During his speech the president advanced several positive initiatives including extending the payroll tax cut and extending unemployment benefits for the chronically unemployed. His $450 billion jobs program is a significant deposit on the scope and size of the economic and jobs problem our country currently faces.

With employment growth for women lagging behind that of their male counterparts and with nearly two-thirds of women being breadwinners or co-breadwinners for their families, the Obama Administration touts that the plan they set forth last week will have a significant impact on women.

Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor for President Obama, emphasized the following points to drive home how the American Jobs Act will benefit women in particular.

Preventing up to 280,000 teacher layoffs – keeping teachers in the classroom:

The President’s plan will invest $30 billion to help prevent up to 280,000 teacher layoffs, along. If these layoffs were to occur, they would disproportionately impact women, who make up about 78% of pre-K- to 12 teachers.

An extension of unemployment insurance that will prevent 2.6 million women from losing their benefits:

The President is calling for an extension of unemployment insurance, which would prevent some of the 2.6 million American women who are currently receiving unemployment benefits from losing a crucial lifeline. This extension would be paired with reforms to help the program better serve the long-term unemployed – including the 2.8 million women who have been unemployed longer than six months.

Supporting job training and successful subsidized employment approaches:

The President’s plan would create a new Pathways Back to Work Initiative that would support successful subsidized employment programs and work-based job training that builds skills and connect participants to work. This Initiative could provide job opportunities and vital work-based training to hundreds of thousands of low-income women, many of whom are single mothers.

Over 75 million women will benefit from the extension of the payroll tax cut:

By extending the payroll tax cut next year, the President’s plan will help increase the paychecks of 77.9 million women in the workforce – providing them with more money to support their families and spend in their communities.

Too many Americans have lost their jobs, homes, and retirement savings as a direct result of the greed of the privileged few. As it stands over 14 million people are unemployed, 8.8 million people underemployed and poverty is expanding. The President outlined a bold and hopeful plan for the future. It’s time for Congress to show up and act.